Fixing Dents and Dings the Easy Way

We've all been there before. Discovering the first ding or dent on your car. It's a painful moment. There are cheap and easy ways to fix your dents and dings, but most of the time they can do more damage than repair. The fix it yourself repair kits sold at automotive stores are for the most part, gimmicks to take your money. There are many complaints about them making the dents worse, or, fixing the dent only to make another dent where the removal tool was placed on the body.

The easy solution to this is a reputable dent removal professional. In about 90% of the cases, you won't need to re-finish and paint the area where the dent happened. How is this possible? It's a technique called Paintless Dent Repair. PDR involves techniques of bending your car's body back into shape from the inside out with special tools and a heating element to soften the metal. The easiest way to find a Paintless Dent Repair Professional is to search online directories, most commonly Craigslist.org.

I myself have successfully had dents removed from a pro I found on Craigslist. They usually are mobile and will come to you. Their rates vary, but expect to pay about $75-100 for two good size dents.

For those who want to attempt to do it themselves, here are a few tips to give you an idea of what's involved.

I do want to warn you, this process is for someone who is comfortable working on their own cars. You can cause major damage.

1: Borrow a dent-pulling tool (looks and acts like a slide hammer), a dolly (a tool designed especially for flattening and shaping metal) and a metalworking hammer.

2: Find the center of the dent and drill a hole in it using a 1/8-inch (3-mm) drill bit (see A). (Or, using the hot glue gun that comes with some kits, glue the plastic adapter to the center of the dent.)

3: Thread the dent-pulling tool into the hole you just drilled (see B) (or attach the dent-pulling tool to the plastic circle you just glued on). Pull on the dent-pulling tool to flatten or pop out the dent.

4: Hammer the front of the dent with the metalworking hammer while holding the dolly against the back of the dent. You may need to get underneath the car or open the hood or the trunk to reach the back of the dent.

5: Using a medium surface-conditioning disk on your drill, grind all the paint down to bare metal extending at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) around the dent. Fill the entire area with body filler.

6: Let the filler dry, then sand with sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood. Start with 36-grit sandpaper and work your way down to 120-grit.

7: Prime the area with spray primer for cars. Apply six coats, letting primer dry between coats.

8: Sand the primer with 600-grit wet-and-dry sandpaper to remove any scratches. Touch up the area with matching car paint. Resand and repeat if paint is not smooth.